Louisville basketball faced a tough challenge this offseason, as the Cardinals had to replace Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell, and three other starters. The Cardinals lost nine of their top 10 players from the previous season and had to completely rebuild this team that reached the NCAA Tournament.
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Well, Pat Kelsey has emerged as one of the best Transfer Portal recruiters in college basketball, adding six transfers this offseason and having Louisville ranked No. 1 overall for its portal class. The Cardinals' dominant offseason put Louisville right back in the mix where it wants to be, and that was made crystal clear in CBS Sports and Isaac Trotter’s way-too-early ACC basketball tiers.
Louisville basketball gets the respect it deserves in way-too-early ACC rankings
As of now, Louisville is trending toward a likely top-15 team in the preseason rankings, with some ranking the Cardinals as high as No. 8 and others as low as No. 14. But Trotter recently ranked the ACC tiers, and Louisville fans will be happy that the Cards got the respect and ranking they deserve.
"Louisville's ceiling, however, is controlled by how well its highly-paid role players buy into doing the dirty work. Shelstad is more of a scorer than a set-the-table point guard, so who else walks onto the floor trying to make others better? Can Adrian Wooley be that trustworthy creator who gets Bidunga some lobs to keep him engaged on the other end? Can Karter Knox simplify his game and be happy as a 3-and-D, transition menace? Iowa transfer 4-man Alvaro Folgueiras could serve as a terrific blend piece for this group with his passing, shooting and overall skill, but some of the mind-boggling mistakes and silly fouls would drive Iowa coach Ben McCollum up a wall.Isaac Trotter
Kelsey knows he has to win big with this group, so he can't be rigid, either. This group looks different than his previous iterations. Louisville doesn't have the personnel to shoot more than 50% of its shots from beyond the arc like last year, especially when it goes double-big with Bidunga at the 4 and Gabe Dynes or Obinna Ekezie Jr. at the 5. It shouldn't play the "run around and chuck 3-pointers" gameplan with this squad. More confrontational drives. More trips to the free throw line. More offensive rebounding. More variety.
If that happens, watch out."
The Cardinals are the No. 2 team in these ACC rankings, behind only Duke and ahead of Virginia. Now, Trotter doesn’t include Louisville in the National Title Contender tier, but the Cards will have to prove they belong there. The Cards being in front of the Cavaliers is major respect, as many way-too-early rankings have Virginia ranked in their top 10. Trotter explains that Louisville has a whole new roster and will be a new style of play, and while that could impact their floor and ceiling, if all goes well and things click, “watch out.”
It is rewarding for Cardinals fans to see Louisville ranked No. 2 in these ACC rankings, and while many fans want this team in the National Title contender tier, time will tell. A lot of analysts have a hard time not thinking about the Cardinals last year and how they didn’t live up to the preseason expectations, and while this is a whole new team, Louisville will just have to prove it on the floor.
The Cards are sitting right where they belong in these rankings, and the best part is they will get Duke at home for a chance to make a massive statement. This should be an exciting year for the Cardinals, and hopefully, Louisville can find a way to win its first ACC Title and return to the Final Four for the first time since 2013.
Also read: Louisville's lineup even without Milan Momcilovic should still have fans dreaming big
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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